Eternity is a Long Time
by Ninadoll
Summary: Wolf Territory - Eternity is a Long Time, unless you're with the one you love the most. Still within my universe, my little outtake on Emmett and Rosalie getting their turn being parents. I'm still team wolf!  Best read after chapter 5 of Colors of My Life
1. Dale

Disclaimer – This is Stephenie Meyer's universe. I'm just playing in her world for a long bit. Any names and characters not found in Stephenie Meyer's books are definitely mine or my wonderful beta and good friend Liljenrock's creations. I couldn't have written this without her Jen's help. I stole so much from her!

I'm so sorry I disappeared for so long. I discovered something, got really, REALLY heavily distracted.. distracted Jen too. And it took me a hell of a long time to finally be able to leave Charming and come back to La Push. My thanks to all of you who were concerned for me. I'm alive people.. And I'm so so sorry.

So, my Christmas gift to all of you. Chapter One of Emmett and Rosalie's tale..

**Eternity is Forever**

**Chapter One : Dale**

_**Dale McCarty**_

"Happy Anniversary, Momma. Thought I forgot, didn't you?"

I watched from my shadowy corner of the large hotel suite at the scene unfolding before me. After I was escorted out of Rachel Winter's lab by the males of the Cullen clan, still under the watchful eyes of of a number of large built men who I knew without a doubt to be a part of the wolf pack, we checked into a large suite at the Four Seasons Hotel. It was obvious, the money they had at their disposal, evident with the ease they were with the luxury of the place, the way they commanded the respect, right down to the comfortable and smooth way they'd tipped the young man assigned to show us to the room. These were the famous Cullens. This was the lifestyle that they were accustomed to.

My eyes drifted back to Emmett Cullen. He'd yet to relinquish his hold on the baby. He'd been holding him since the wolf Jacob Black had placed him in his arms, having first gently taken him out of my arms just before his punch knocked me across the room. But Emmett, he had taken the baby as if he was the most precious thing in the whole world. The way a father would hold his child for the first time. With a sense of awe and pride and love and so much of tenderness that was almost misplaced in such a big man. This was the way he should have held his own son, but here he was, holding my grandson.

Some emotion I'd never felt before stirred inside me as I watched him place the baby in his mate's arms. His wife. The flawlessly beautiful and haughty Rosalie. I always wondered, what would make a vampire, new or old, forget everything about his past and think only of his future, because I certainly never forgot, I certainly never turned my back, well not exactly. But looking at this blond woman, I had to admit, her beauty was enough to turn any man's head.

"Emmett? W-wh-what?" she stammered as her arms automatically accepted the baby, automatically brought him close to herself, tenderly cradling him as a...as a mother would. "It's not our anniversary." I wanted to hate her.

The female Cullens had arrived at the hotel two hours after we did. It gave Edward and Carlisle Cullen enough time to shop a little before Edward and Jasper had left on a mission of their own. They had the foresight to buy the essential baby products, baby formula, feeding bottles, diapers, and other things that I never thought of when I had first taken the baby. They were all better experienced in handling a child than I was. One of the hybrids made an appearence as well, followed in by her mate, the wolf Embry Call. He did not try to exert his strength and authority the way Paul Winters had, instead, he had grinned a quick hello to everyone and calmly sat down and watched with a smile as his wife flitted over to Rosalie and Emmett. But I was not fooled by his relaxed stance. I knew he would rip me apart in seconds if he had a mind too. I chose to watch his wife as well. I was almost angry with her for intruding on that moment between Emmett and his mate, and my grandson, and I waited for one of them to rebuff her.

"He's your new baby, Rosalie. Everyone says he's like me, but venomous. That means he's like Nahuel! Oh Rosalie, please say you'll take him and love him? Please? Please don't let him go through my years on the farm. I was always hungry and so cold," the hybrid beseeched as she rested her head on Rosalie's shoulder. She reminded me of a little kitten. The innocence of her, this Petra Cullen or Petra Call, was hard to miss. Nor was it hard to miss the gentle and soft way Rosalie and Emmett smiled at her. It showed me, in that instant, that I had brought the baby to the right place. These people would care for him well, would raise him well, do all the things that I could never do for him, that my own father had never done for me.

"I don't understand," Rosalie whispered, never once releasing the baby or pushing Petra away but the longing in her eyes were plain to see. It moved something inside me.

"Rosalie, this is Dale McCarty. His human granddaughter died yesterday giving birth to the baby in your arms. Dale has been on a mission to somehow get the baby to us to raise. Jacob felt it should be yours and Emmett's turn to raise this child. If you're not ready for something like that, Esme and I will raise him as ours. But the decision is yours," Carlisle Cullen spoke up. He was the one I had originally intended to hand my grandson over to, but I suppose fate had other plans.

Rosalie turned to look at me for the first time, the haughty demeanor she had when she had walked in having melted away the second the baby was in her arms. It was uncomfortable seeing that raw longing in her gaze. She was so lovely, that it was obvious why Emmett was so devoted to her. "Really?" she asked as her voice hitched, almost like she was fighting tears, which I knew wasn't possible. "H-He's mine?"

"Ours," Emmett whispered as he knelt in front of her, softly laying a kiss on her forehead, then another on the baby.

My heart twisted painfully. This was how a perfect family was supposed to look like. Well, not with that young hybrid leaning on Rosalie while Emmett and Rosalie came to terms with the fact they were taking on my grandson as their child. It was ironic in a way. Do they wonder about their human families at all? When they were turned, did they turn their backs on their past? I looked at all of them as they watched the new family with smiles on their faces. Did any one of them keep track of their descendants like I did?

Petra Cullen chose that moment to ask. "May I hold him, Rosalie? Please?"

I had thought Rosalie would have refused, she seemed the type. She was how I imagined a cold, selfish bitch would look, but she nodded, surprising me and handing the baby over carefully. It was hard to miss the sudden tensing of the wolf's muscles as he sat up as if alerted to some danger.

"The baby is asleep, Embry. He's no danger to Petra," Carlisle called out and the wolf nodded, but he remained on alert.

I watched as Rosalie got up with a smile and Emmett quickly take her seat as he bent his head close to Petra and the two whispered together like conspirators with huge grins on their faces. Rosalie came towards me, determination in her eyes, gratitude, curiousity, emotions of all kinds and I looked away. I couldn't face her. How do I face her? What do I tell her? How do I talk to her? As much as I wanted to hate her, she was going to be the mother of my grandson, she was going to raise him as her own, he was going to call her mother and Emmett father.

"Thank you," her voice was heartfelt, she meant it, I could tell from the way she said those two words as she reached for my hand. I couldn't, I just couldn't and I brought my hand up to run my fingers through my hair, avoiding her touch. I saw the flash in her eyes, she realized what I had done and I saw a milisecond of hurt flash in them before she blinked them away. "Are you...are you sure you want to do this?" she asked.

"I can't raise him. I don't have a home, I travel a lot," I whispered. "And a child, any child deserves normalcy in their lives, and structure. Please, help the child." I couldn't look at her. I just couldn't. She made me think of my own mother although they were worlds apart, and I didn't want that. Not now, not here, surrounded by all these people. It made me feel stripped bare.

"Emmett and I, we will raise him well. I promise you. We will love him like he was our own. I have always wanted a child and you have given me so much," she choked out.

I could hear the emotions in her voice and against my will, my eyes drifted to her. I nodded. I could accept that. Her promising to raise him well, she would. Of that I had no doubt as I looked towards the other hybrid. She seemed secure with her place in their extended family and as Emmett guffawed over something she said, I could see it, the baby growing up in this family, I could see him whispering mischeviously with Emmett, of them plotting and scheming. I could imagine the baby having the time of his life with Emmett as his father. Him coming to them, it was meant to be. It just was.

"I just want him to have a good home," I whispered.

"He will," Rosalie nodded. "He will want for nothing. I promise."

"Love him. That's all I ask. Every child deserves the love of parents and a home."

Emmett chose that moment to get up and walk over to us. It was hard to miss the casual way he rested his hand on Rosalie's hip as he brushed against her before stopping in front of me. "Rose and I, we'll love the baby like he was our own."

I nodded...like their own. That pang in my chest hit me again. After some time, when the pain of watching a large happy family, one that I was not a part of, one that my flesh and blood was a part of, got too much to bear and I excused myself. Corey still lay in a bloody mess in her flea ridden little apartment. It wouldn't do to have the authorities find her ripped open as she was. I had to do something.

"Allow me to accompany you," Carlisle Cullen offered, no doubt guessing the nature of my mission.

I glanced over at Emmett. The baby was awake and staring up at Emmett's grinning face. He should be the one coming with me to see about Corey. But I found myself nodding at Carlisle, accepting the older man's offer.

As we watched the fire burn, paying our last respects to the young girl who had unknowingly bridged a strange gap, Carlisle asked me about my history. It was his quiet non-judgemental ways that led me to speak freely. One day the baby might ask, he should know about at least one human descendant who was a good man.

I was a good man. Growing up in Tennessee, falling in love and marrying, being a good father to a young son. It was the hopes for a better life for my family and a chance to leave Tennessee that led me to join the army. I was the kind of father who would have done anything for his family. I was supposed to move us forward.

That was the plan. That is until my entire unit was ambushed during a training mission. Only it wasn't an enemy army that wiped us out, but a large group of vampires. I was turned because of my size and the strength I had as a human. I was as wild and ruthless as the vampires I ran with for a number of years. I don't know what it was, perhaps seeing a child somewhere who reminded me of my own son, that thoughts of my wife and son suddenly came foremost in my mind. Memories I didn't know I had popped up unbidden. Nothing I did could wipe away this yearning I felt to find them, to assure myself that they were okay. Leaving the group was not easy, and in the end it was only possible to walk away with more notches on my belt, for all the vampires I killed before they gave up on destroying me, self perseverance on their part allowing me to walk away.

I found my wife in Boston, living close to her sister. She had received my insurance payoff, the army had classified my unit's massacare as a 'training accident' and had tried to hush everyone. She had remarried. I guess I was easy to replace, or maybe that's how all women are? My own mother certainly did the same when she believed that my father had died. I found that my son had become a cop and I felt pride that I had never felt before. A good man. My son was a good man. Only he wasn't. He was deep in the pockets of an organized crime family. Greed led his every action and in the end, his entire family was wiped out by the very mob he had been loyal to.

Well all of them, except his newborn daughter, Corey. Spared no doubt because she would not be able to identify anyone. I killed her adoptive parents, the abuse and neglect they put on her too much for me to stomach. From then on, she was in various foster care until she was eighteen. Then with a guitar on her back, she hitchhiked all over the country, busking to make ends meet. Maybe I was biased, but I thought she sang beautifully. Seattle was the only place she had lingered long. Some good that did her.

It surprised me, when Carlisle picked up things from around Corey's little appartment. Photographs, some costume jewelery that she had, a notebook of song lyrics and her guitar. "For the baby," he explained. "Someday he might ask about his own mother. He has a right to know her."

I could only stare at him. Does he say things like this to all the vampires he welcomes to his coven? It gave me an unsettled feeling and I tried to push it away. "I—I have a family Bible. It was my mother's. I've always carried it with me. Could you...could you see that he gets it too? If he ever asks, that is." Carlisle clasped my shoulder as he agreed.

The break of dawn, found me still surrounded by the Cullens. The quick escape I had wanted to make twarted at every attempt. The Cullens would all somehow keep me occupied. Each and everytime I tried to leave, they'd start something else. It was when Rosalie started humming as she fed the baby another bottle that I knew I had to put some distance between me and the Cullens. Watching all this, I was going to loose my decorum.

I stood up, reaching for my jacket when it was Carlisle himself who put a stall to my plans. "Emmett, did you know that Dale is originally from Tennessee too? How big was the McCarty clan?"

Emmett looked at me with surprise, with interest. "No kidding? Man, that's cool. I was from Tennessee too. From a long time ago, a different lifetime ago. Gatlinburg, I think."

"You don't remember?" I murmured. I wasn't sure if that was a question or was I just stating a fact that was glaringly obvious.

"My memories from the past are rather fuzzy. I know I worked the railroad, I had brothers and a baby sister, and my parents. But no solid thoughts or feelings. I never had your drive to look them up or anything. I know they think I was killed in a bear attack. I went back once, only once. Left some money on the porch. I used to be Emmett McCarty, a long time ago. Maybe we're related?," Emmett laughed making it a joke. Some joke. "Which part of Tennessee are you from?"

"Gatlinburg," I swollowed, it was almost painful. "My parents were Ima Stobrod," I searched his face for some recognition, some sign of something. "And Elijah McCarty."

"Elijah?" Emmett looked stunned as he shot to his feet. "You're Eli's boy?" He let out a hearty laugh as he strode over to me, pulling me into a hug. I froze. "Oh my God! Rose, you guys, Dale here is my brother Eli's son. This is my nephew," Emmett laughed as he slung an arm around my shoulders and turned to grin at the roomful of vampires. "Rosalie baby, that's a McCarty you're holding there. I guess I really did give you a baby after all. Made all your dreams come true," he winked at her.

She rolled her eyes at him as Esme, Carlisle's mate came over to me. She hugged me too. "This is such a rare thing. We never discover family this way."

I was saved the need to say anything with the appearance of more of the Cullen clan, but these arrivals, I was actually curious about. The ever beautiful Renessmee Black, recognized by the media first as the wife of the CEO of Shipo Industries, one of the top 400 of America's Best Small Companies as per Forbes, and second for her beauty. And she certain is beautiful, far more so than Rosalie or Petra and she had no airs about her. I've been curious about her ever since I agreed to become one of the Volturi's witnesses and I'd come to help pass judgment on her life when she had been a mere child. I was glad they spared her. She seemed in her element. She had a baby on her hip and held the hand of her other son as they let themselves in.

"Hello! We're here to see the new baby!" she announced as her older son let her hand go to run into Bella Cullen's open arms with a cheerful giggle. Esme was quick to take the younger child out of Renesmee's arms. It was obvious how the vampires doted on the young children. Corey's baby would be safe with them.

"Hey Ness, meet Dale. Guess what? He's my nephew!" Emmett announced as he hooked an arm around her neck and pulled her to his side, grinning down at her when she wrapped her arm around his waist. They seem very comfortable displaying the love and affection they have for each other.

"Hello Dale," she smiled up at me and for a moment I was so taken by her beauty that I froze. She covered the awkward silence smoothly. "I guess Petra and I aren't the only ones to call him Uncle Emmett anymore, huh? Good thing I don't mind sharing him. He gets too much at times," she said cheekily, causing Emmett to tug on one of her curls as he called her a brat affectionately.

"You'll still be our Uncle, right?" Petra appeared in front of Emmett, looking worried and he reacted immediately to her fears by placing his hand right on her head and sort of shake her a little and messing up her hair a lot.

"You're stuck with me, kiddo," he laughed as she tried to push his hand away and tame her hair, the glare on her face adorable and not at all ferocious.

And suddenly I could see it. The kind of father Emmett would be. The kind of life the baby would have with someone like Emmett to watch over him, to guide him, to teach him. All the things my father should have done for me. Rosalie no doubt would be the disciplinarian but Emmett would be the kind of father who would let the child be a little boy for as long as possible. Was I bitter or am I glad that I managed to bring the baby to him? I couldn't really tell anymore.

Renesmee wondered off to the women as they dotted on the baby and I could hear her explaining that her boys had been asleep so she'd just checked them in and put them to bed last night. I wondered about that sort of family loyalty, where she would put her young children in a car and take a three hour drive in the middle of the night, just to help a family member. I never had that sort of loyalty before. And that pang hit me once again. I needed to get somewhere faraway and regroup. But I was taken in by Emmett's antics as Renesmee's baby Bodhi giggled with glee. Corey's baby would grow up in this atmosphere. He would laugh like Renesmee's baby was. He would be surrounded by love. One more hour. I'll just stay and absorb this for an hour more.

And that was my mistake I realized, as the two wolves walked in the door. Jacob Black and Embry Call. They walked straight to their mates, greeting them and I watched Black with Renesmee. He was the biggeset wolf, the strongest, the Alpha. It facinated me to watch a domestic moment. She let him drop a quick kiss to her lips and when he raised his head, she asked him a silent question, noticable only with the slightest lift to her eyebrows, he smiled softly down at her and gave her a barely noticable nod. There was a sudden relaxation of her shoulders that told me that she was relieved with his answer. During my research, I had thought a clan of vampires making an alliance with a pack of werewolves dedicated in finding and destroying our entire race would have been politically motivated. A beautiful daughter in exchange for immunity, but watching them, the two of them in question, I knew that was not it. Jacob Black could be many things, a stong man, a born leader, a dangerous nemesis, but he was also a father, a husband, a man in love with his wife and mostly...mostly he was a good man.

I tried to leave once more but Jacob turned his gaze to me, the first time since he walked into the hotel suite. A watchful, relaxed look that made this sense of awareness creep up my spine. Deer in the headlights, thats how I felt. "You and I," he smiled, I wondered why the Cullens didn't see the threat he posed. "We need to talk. You can't leave yet." I nodded. I was not entirely off the hook yet.

I watched as the wolves ordered breakfast, room service, and I looked at the time. It was way past regular human breakfast hours but they didn't care. I watched as an easy conversation flowed between the wolves and the Cullens. This was a family gathering. This was what a family should look like. Jacob Black ate one handed, his younger son held in his left arm, expertly keeping the baby's grabby hands from reaching into his plate, laughingly spooning a forkful of pancakes drenched in syrup into his older son's mouth as he came over to his father for a bite. I could picture Emmett doing this for Corey's baby. Emmett has been immersed in this family for decades. He would be a good father. He would be like Jacob.

"Daddy?"

"Yeah, Bud?" Jacob answered as he used his napkin to wipe a smudge of syrup off his son's chin.

"When Mac grows up, he's going to join my pack," the older boy announced.

"Who's Mac?" his father asked.

"The baby. Uncle Emmett said he's a McCarty. It's too long, he likes Mac better."

"The baby told you this?" Emmett asked, a strange smile on his face.

"Uh-huh. I'm going to be his Alpha."

"Griffin, you can't be talking about things like this, remember, sweetheart?" Renesmee chided the child gently from across the room.

"No, no. It's okay, Nessie. It's only us here right now. It's fine," Emmett called out to Renesmee as he walked across the room to crouch down in front of the child, Griffin. "Hey kiddo, were you really able to talk to the baby?"

"Yes," the child sighed. "Because he's gonna join my pack."

"Hey Griff, he's not wolf, buddy," Jacob said gently.

"I know, Daddy," the child replied, a-matter-of-factly.

I knew that I was witnessing a strange moment that I did not understand. This family, they had layers, many layers and just when I think i've reached the core of them, that I'm seeing what they really are like, they peel off another layer and show me another side of them.

"He really liked you calling him Mac?" Emmett asked the child.

"Uh-huh," the child replied as he turned back to his father and opened his mouth, seeking another bite of pancakes that his father was quick to feed him with.

"McCarty Cullen. What do you think, Rose?" Emmett asked, turning in his crouched position to look over at his mate.

I looked at her too. It was hard to miss the moment. What Emmett was trying to do here. He had turned his back on his family years and years ago and this was his way to remember them, to honor them. What would his wife say?

She smiled at him. "McCarty Dale Cullen." I wanted to hate her, I really did. But how do I do that? And I had trouble remembering why.

"How old fashioned," Alice the small vampire chirped out, having just returned from a shopping trip. For the baby, she had announced. How many babies? I wondered from the number of bags she had.

"It's way better than Renesmee," Jacob laughed.

"Hey!" both Renesmee and Bella cried out in indignation.

"Mac! He likes Mac," Griffin announced having swollowed his food.

"Mac! We'll be calling him Mac!" Emmett called out, using the exact tone of voice the little boy did, laughing as a look of satisfation cross the child's face.

"He's gonna join my pack, Uncle Emmett."

"He'll never be a wolf, kiddo," Emmett said.

"He's my cousin, Uncle Emmett. Just like Keegan and Logan. That's enough."

"Go on, argue with that logic, Emmett," Embry laughed.

I didn't understand what just happened, but Corey's baby had found his place in this strange family. That I was sure of.

In a way it was a good thing that the wolves had wanted to talk to me. We moved to another room to be away from the women and the children and Jacob questioned me about how I'd found his sister. I suppose the worry was there that if I could figure out just who the shapeshifters were when they were not in "uniform", then anyone else could do so too. I was quick to assure them, that it was probably only me who held an interest in the Cullens. They never questioned my reasons why.

I explained to them how I had to move fast to get the baby, Mac as he was called now to the Cullens, before Jeremiah found out. He held such control over the creation of a new vampires, that I had feared that he would have had the baby destroyed if he had come to know of him first. This surprised the Cullens, and Jasper and Carlisle slipped out immediatly, against my advice to pay a visit to Jeremiah.

"Don't worry. They're not asking permission. They're just gonna tell ole' Jerry boy that we have a new hybrid on our hands," Emmett explained. "Besides, he's very _respectful_ of Jake, so he'll listen."

"Now, we need to talk about you, Dale," Jacob said. I nodded. I was expecting this to be honest. I had done something unforgivable last night. "Paul has every right to demand his right to kill you. Going after a wolf's mate, a man's wife—that's really low, man."

"Jacob!" Emmett said urgently but Jacob held up his hand and Emmett fell silent.

"I'm not going to let that happen. First, because my sister would probably kill both Paul and me. Second, because of your reasons for taking her, as stupid as they may be. And finally because of your connection to Emmett." I stared at him, not sure what he was getting at. "You get to be in Seattle for as long as the Cullens are here. Then I want you gone. I don't even want to get a scent of you in wolf territory unless you have prior approval from me."

"Jake! Come on, man. He's my nephew. Blood of my blood and all that," Emmett interjected and I jumped at his words.

"And Rachel is my blood. It was not a friendly visit that he made, regardless of how it turned out in the end." It was very simply said but it said a lot. It definitely showed how the Alpha's mind was set.

"Hey Emmett," Embry called out. "The last I checked, Minesotta was not wolf territory."

Emmett perked up at this, and I had to admit, I did too. They were not unreasonable, these wolves. Corey's son would someday get to run with them. Whatever that meant, it seemed like a good omen. That was good, right?

It took me a few more hours before I could leave and Rosalie brought the baby over to me to say my goodbyes. I was touched by her consideration as I accepted him back into my arms, perhaps for the last time ever. He was awake and he stared up at me, cooing softly. He reminded me of my son, I remember holding him in my arms like this as he cooed up at me. I ran my hand over his soft downy hair, hair the exact color of mine, of Emmett's.

"I've brought you to the right place, boy," I whispered softly. "You'll have a good home, you'll be loved. You're with your own." The baby cooed at me as if he understood what I was saying and my heart twisted. I wished I could do more for him, I felt as if I was letting him down, yet I knew I was doing the right thing leaving him here with Emmett and his...wife. They would do right by him, they would give him a home and be a family with him. I was incapable of doing that for him. "It's not that I don't want you, son. I do. Very much. But it's not much of a life that I can offer you. That is why...why I'm doing this. You already have a father and a mother, uncles and aunts and grandparents. Cousins too. A family. You will have a family." I kissed his forehead, like I had seen Emmett kiss him. I never did that to my own son, it seemed like an unmanly thing to do back when my son had been a baby, but now, it came so easily, so naturally after watching Emmett do it first. "This is the right place for you. This new family, they are not afraid to show love. But I am. I'm not abandoning you, son. Don't ever think that you were abandoned. This is fate." I kissed his forehead again because it felt so right to do that.

When I was finally ready to leave, Emmett pulled me into a bear hug. It felt strange being hugged by another man, but at the same time, this feeling of peace came over me. It took close to eighty years for me to feel this. Fate, like I had told Corey's baby. Fate had brought this along.

"You have my numbers. Call me, okay? Don't be a stranger," Emmett murmured still holding me tight and I could only nod. "We can go catch a game or something, if you're in the neighborhood. You, me and the kid. A McCarty men outing." He had no idea how much weight his words held.

Esme hugged me too. "I expect to see you in Minesotta, dear. We will be looking out for you. You're welcome anytime." I could only nod at her invitation, the warmth of it robbing my ability to reply.

Then Rosalie was hugging me. "Thank you," she murmured into my shoulder.

I stepped away from her and looked towards Emmett as he stood by the door, the baby in his arms. He was brushing his lips over the baby's forehead again. "They're both happy," I mumbled to Rosalie. She nodded as she turned to look at them too. "Please keep them happy. There were not many generations of McCarty men who were happy. You seem to have the only two who are."

_A/N: Ok, so I'll come right out and say it. I left Jax Teller for you guys. So, I'll swollow my pride and demand a review. And not just the simple sort of reviews, but a PROPER review. There's something really heavy in this chapter itself and I want to see how many of you caught it. Cheers people. Merry Christmas._


	2. Rosalie

Disclaimer – This is Stephenie Meyer's universe. I'm just playing in her world for a long bit. Any names and characters not found in Stephenie Meyer's books are definitely mine or my wonderful beta and good friend Liljenrock's creations. You've all got to thank Jen coz she motivated me to write this fast and beta'd it equally fast.

Most of you didn't catch the something 'heavy' that I mentioned in the previous chapter :( But its okay. Doesn't affect the story or anything. But if you're up to it, once you've read this chapter, try reading chapter 1 again and let me know if your perspectives change for chapter 1..

Happy New Year everyone, may you actually fulfill your 2012 resolutions come the new year. I've never fulfilled any of mine ;) So here's my early new year gift to y'all..

_**Eternity is a Long Time**_

_**Chapter 2 : Rosalie**_

I laughed. There was no end to Alice's crazy ideas. She had bronzed yet another part of Mac's shoes, a pair of Reebok's hightops that he'd wore once, maybe twice before he outgrew it.

"Seriously, Alice? If you keep this up, you're going to drive the price of bronze up. And I'm actually renting storage space because of you!"

She opened her mouth to answer but both of us were distracted by Mac's loud shriek as he toddled up to Emmett who was pretending to be running away, and he pushed at his legs. "Gotd'ju Daddy!"

And Emmett for his part, yelled out "You got me! You got me!" and allowed himself to be toppled over onto the floor, groaning dramatically to the delighted laughter of our little boy.

I don't know if I'll ever get over the thrill of finally be able to say my son, my child, my little boy. This was something I've longed for, for eternity and here he is today. McCarty Cullen, my son. Mac.

"Unca Jazz! I got Daddy!" Mac announced to Jasper who had been watching my husband and my son's antics while trying to get something done on his laptop.

"That you did, little man," Jasper replied over Emmett's loud moans. "Now for the coup de grace, do you know what you should do?" he asked. Mac shook his head vigorously at his uncle. "You should jump on him and squash him flat!"

Delighted over the idea of squashing his father flat, our little bit of happiness jumped feet first on my husband's stomach and proceeded to make a hearty attempt at doing just that. Emmett certainly contributed to all the necessary sound effects and I had to laugh again.

I think I've been laughing like this since the day we came back to Minesotta. Esme had surprised me more than once when she had touched my face and whispered that she liked seeing me like this, with the new expressions on my face. Looking in the mirror, I looked no different than before, but I knew what that little extra it was that she was noticing. It was the look of a mother. For that's what I finally am now. A mother. Me.

It had been six months since we'd been back with Mac, and like Nessie he grew at an alarming speed and right now, he was already walking and talking like an older child. He didn't have Nessie's ability to project his thoughts, but yet, I suppose like all hybrids, everything about him was accelerated. But I didn't mind. I didn't despair like Bella did with Nessie. I already knew all the important things that I needed to know. By the time Mac is seven, he would be fully grown, aging a little more over the years until he freezes somewhere at mid-twenties. I could accept that, because the most important thing that I needed to remember was, he was never going to age for all eternity. And for all eternity, I would be his mother. And eternity is a very long time.

"So have you decided on what to keep and what to give away?" Alice asked.

"That pile there goes to goodwill," I said, pointing at a mountain of Mac's old barely worn clothes and shoes. "This small pile here, I want to keep."

"Sentiments, huh?"

"Yes. There were my baby's things, Alice!" I giggled, once more the thrill of being able to say that making me feel so light and giddy.

"I'll go get some boxes," Alice said before she skipped away leaving me to work silently as I kept a ear open to listen to my husband and son.

We had a huge temprature controlled storage unit and I was going to store Mac's things in there. One day I want to show him everything about him that I've preserved. My eyes fell to the pile of things that Carlisle and Dale had brought back after seeing to Corey, my baby's real mother. Or should I say biological mother? I am Mac's mother. I didn't know how to refer to her, and I felt sad that she would never know the joy Mac is, that she lost the chance at motherhood. But mostly I felt so grateful to her, because she gave me this chance, this chance to be a mother, this chance to have a child, this chance to be mother to this most precious of children. I wish now that I had the presence of mind that day in Seattle when Carlisle had slipped away with Dale to see to Corey's remains, to have joined them. I should have brought her flowers, I should have whispered my thanks to her and my promises to be a good mother to her baby. But I had been so distracted with the baby, of what he was to me, of everything and I'd missed that chance. I suppose I will be carrying that guilt with me everyday, I thought as I thanked Corey silently once more. Something else that I'd been doing a lot since that day in Seattle.

Which brings me back to Corey's things. One day he might ask, and it would only be fair that he has access to this unknown girl who died giving him life. I went back to packing her things, individually wrapping everything, putting them in vacume containers. I worked with reverance. Her music book, her jewellery, her guitar, her pictures. I stopped to study her, she was pretty, with Mac's dark hair and his deep blue eyes. I wondered about her, her thoughts, her dreams. How did she feel when she found out she was pregnant? I flicked through her music book, she'd been writing lyrics and I looked at her handwriting. These were the words of the girl who had given me everything I had ever wanted. She was a McCarty and together, the McCarty clan had given me so much. I turned to look at Emmett as he goofed around with Mac and the love I feel for him, for both of them filled me once more. I had to die, to find my true destiny in the loving arms of a McCarty. Emmett looked up and caught my eye then, and he lifted his brows in question. No doubt concerned by the look on my face? I don't know. I shook my head, trying to shake off the sappiness running through me.

"I love you," he mouthed. And warmth just spread through me as I smiled and replied in kind. I do, I do love him so much.

With a smile, I turned back to Dale's things. There would be no point expecting help from Emmett in this. Sometimes he has the attention span of a three-year old. I smiled as I heard Emmett pretend to topple over again and I called out to them, "Ten minutes more and then it's Mac's bedtime!"

"Aw Mom! Come on Mac, say 'Aw Mom!' like Daddy did. Aw Mom!"

"Aw Mom!" Mac repeated exactly with Emmett's tone.

"Don't 'aw mom' me, young man!" I tried to say sternly and obviously I'd failed from the identical grins on both their faces. "Ten minutes," I repeated as I turned back to my task at hand.

Dale was leaving strange things for the baby. A large hunting knife, some guns, his records of his family genealogy. I wondered why he would hand that over so soon but I figured that it was his way of passing the baton to the next generation and I chose to hold back my questions. Then there was the Bible, I knew it was from Dale's mother so it wasn't exactly a McCarty Bible but still, I'd keep it for Mac too. He was a part of Dale's mother too. I ran a hand over the worn cover, my mother had a Bible like this, passed down generation to generation. They recorded important family records in Bibles like this those days. No one did these days. Bella didn't have anything like this and I didn't see Nessie wanting to start anything like this anytime soon. Petra perhaps, she was the one with a romantic spirit albeit at times an unpractical one. She's the only one following my wedding cake tradition.

I wonder what would have happened to my mother's Bible. I never went back to see my family and certainly never thought about them until now. I wonder if my mother recorded the date of my death in her Bible? My death entry would have been the very next line after my birth entry. Nothing significant happened between those two entries for the Hale family. I should have been married, how did my mother feel when that day came and went? I wish she knew about Emmett, how he brought me back to life, that should have been an entry for me, the day he gave me a reason to live. Along with the eight times he's married me. And now the baby we've welcomed into our family. I caressed Dale's family Bible once more. I guess times like these, reminds you of your past and makes you wonder about things. Did they grieve for me? Did they miss me? Did they talk about me? Did they forget me?

"Mommy!" Mac shrieked as he threw himself into my arms, giggling like a crazy little boy as Emmett swept the both of us up in his arms and spun us around. I released my hold on the Bible and held tight to my baby as both of us laughed. I love this, being family with Emmett like this. It was nothing sexual, but all about being Mommy, Daddy and Baby. I've been waiting for this for a long, long time.

When Emmett finally stopped spinning us, we stayed in his arms. I think it was a line from the Bible that I remembered now. 'My cup runneth over'. It played itself in my head as I clutched Mac closer and held on to Emmett. "Hey Momma, what is it?" Emmett asked, a look of concern on his face as he studied my face.

"I love you," I whispered to him. "I love the both of you."

Much, much later, after I had bathed Mac and tucked him into bed, after Emmett and I both took turns to read him a bedtime story, I finally came back to continue where I'd left off with my packing. I looked around for the Bible and I found it in a corner by the wall. A sense of guilt flooded me over how badly I had treated the old book, but when Emmett was spinning us like he was, my thoughts were on the baby, not what was in my hand. It looked like the spine had split leaving loose pages strewn around and I picked them up and arranged them in the proper order. I would need to rebind the book before I put it away. And that's when I noticed the photographs sticking out of the leather jacket, curiosity leading me to pull them out and look them over.

They were old black and white photographs and looking at the the clothes on the people I guess it would be from sometime in the 30's. I smiled to myself remembering my own many weddings to Emmett, we dressed way better. I remembered the effort taken with Bella's wedding and Nessie's beach side twilight wedding and Petra's reception. I smiled sadly at the woman in the picture, who I guessed to be Dale's mother. This was what she got. She wore a dark dress that fell past her knees and she had on a white hat and she looked pretty but timid as she smiled sort of unsurely up at her husband. He was big and tall, I guess all McCarty men were built that way. I grinned over how like Emmett this Eli looked. They could pass for brothers, but then they were brothers. I suppose I should say they could pass for twins.

But something wasn't exactly lovey dovey about this picture and I looked up at the pictures Esme had on the sideboard. She had everyone of the family's wedding picture or a lovely couple photo in frames. Herself and Carlisle, Jasper and Alice, Edward and Bella, Jacob and Nessie, Embry and Petra and Emmett and me. I looked at the picture of Emmett and me. It was a picture taken during Petra's party. He was holding both my hands in his and pressing his lips to my knuckles as he looked right into my eyes. You could see the love in his eyes and I suppose I was not the only one to be dazzled, as the photographer had snapped up such a lovely candid shot. This was how a new husband should be looking at his new bride. Not that uncomfortable, slightly angry look that Eli wore. He hadn't even made an effort on his wedding day, unless you called that flatly combed hair and the tucked in light colored short sleeve shirt an effort. He didn't even wear a tie.

I looked at the next picture. It was a family picture and I guessed the two older couples standing by the bride and groom to be his and her parents. I figured the larger older man to be Emmett's father, and I looked up to see if he was around so that I could show it to him, but he was in deep conversation with Jasper and Edward and I figured that I'd wait till later. I turned back to the picture, the two brothers were standing to the back, I knew they would be Emmett and Eben the second brother, flanking the only girl in the family. Emmalou, I knew her name. I studied them, wanted to look at how Emmett looked back then. I think Dale's parents must have gotten married just a couple of months before Emmett met the bear and I met him. All I remembered about him back then was the torn flesh and the smell of blood as I fought off the bear to save him. I'd only ever gotten one glimpse of his deep blue eyes before he drifted off and I had carried him to Carlisle. It was those eyes I suppose that moved me to save him, and I'd only ever seen them blue that once. And today, I see them in Mac.

But something wasn't right and I shook my head in confusion. Emmett and Eben, I knew one of them was Emmett, but neither one of them looked like Emmett, not as much as Eli looked like Emmett. Was the timing wrong then? Did this wedding happened after Emmett was supposedly killed by the bear? But Emmett said he only had two brothers. I went on to the last photograph and suddenly I felt like I was having heart palpitations as a strange feeling came over me. It was another wedding picture, taken outdoors, just like the other two pictures. It was the same bride, in yet another ugly dress and the same ugly hat. She was pregnant in this picture, and she looked like she had been crying and she stood beside one of Emmett's brothers. He had his arm around her shoulder and he had a determined look on his face. But like the other groom, he didn't have a tie on, and the only cleaning up effort was the shave and the flatly combed hair and the high waisted pants. I shook my head, pushing away the horrible thought that was trying to form itself inside my head, but I didn't want it to. No. No, no, no. Emmett is mine. He's my husband. He loves me. And with trembling hands, I turned the photograph over. And there it was, written behind the third photograph. Elijah and Ima McCarty 20th July 1935.

I didn't know how I managed to get my fingers to move but somehow, they were working on their own as I flipped the very first photograph over. I was shaking so badly, I didn't know that I was even capable of shaking. And there it was, like pouring concrete over all the suspicion that was running through my mind. I had been trying to deny them, but the truth was forming itself on its own. Emmett and Ima McCarty 13th March 1935.

I'd saved Emmett from the bear in May 1935. He had been married to her, to this Ima when he came to me, when he fell in love with me, when he married me. What did I take him away from? Had I stolen him, my soulmate from another woman? I did, didn't I? I had taken him away from his family for my own selfish reasons. How did I feel about this? Life with Emmett these years has been blissful. I've never known happiness until he became mine and having Mac just increased that happiness ten-fold.

"Rose, baby. Come on, let go for a run and hunt a little. Esme says she'll watch the little fella," Emmett called out, making me jump guiltily. I noticed Jasper, Alice and Bella trooping out and I looked up at Emmett. For the first time ever, I felt fear. Fear about how Emmett would feel about me if he realised the truth, if he realised that he had a wife who wasn't me. That when I made Carlisle save him, I had taken him away from so much. I couldn't stop staring up at him and the easy smile on his face slipped away into concern as he came up to me, to crouch down in front of me. My hands seemed to have a mind of it's own as I smoothly slid the photographs back into the Bible. Why am I doing this? He deserves to know the truth. What kind of a loving wife would withhold such a truth from her husband? Am I still his wife? But I was doing this, and I couldn't claim ignorance. "Hey," Emmett murmured as he cupped my face and brushed his lips over mine. "What is it, baby?"

"Emmett," I whispered.

"Yeah?" he cuddled me close, just knowing by instinct what I needed from him. He's mine. He's mine, he's mine. That woman can't possibly have a claim on him. How could she? He left her for me, didn't he? Or did I take him away from her? I didn't know anything anymore and I clung to him, needing his solid strength, drawing strength from him. I needed to figure this out, I needed to think.

"I-I'm not coming," I stated, licking my suddenly dry lips. "I...um, I want to get this done today. You go on with the others. I'll hunt tomorrow."

"You sure, baby?" he asked looking me over and I was quick to assure him. I think I had this horribly tight feeling over me until he left. I was afraid. Afraid of myself. Afraid that I would suddenly tell him that what we have is fake. That he was already married. He belonged to a long dead woman name Ima. Oh God! Is she dead? What if she's a little old lady somewhere? Some people have lived past 100. What if? What if? What do I do?

Once I was left alone, I remained seated in my chair. I didn't know how it was possible, but I felt nauseated. I felt sweaty. Weird feelings for a vampire but this was how I felt. I was nervous and scared and I wanted to cry, and I jumped once again as Edward quietly slipped into the chair beside me. He would know everything, he already knew everything and all it took was one look at his knowing face for me to start dry sobbing.

"Oh Edward, Edward! He's mine."

"I know. No one said otherwise, Rosalie. It's you he loves."

"He wouldn't love me if he knew what I took him away from!"

"You're being silly," Edward let me sob into his shoulder for a little while, before he asked for the Bible. "Rose, do you realize something?" he asked very seriously.

"What?" I asked. One good thing about crying as a vampire. I didn't need a tissue like Nessie and Petra did. But it felt good to sob regardless.

"When Eli married Ima, she was pregnant," I stared at Edward as if he had suddenly sprouted another head. "Who is Dale's father?"

I watched as if from inside a fog as Edward flipped through the Bible, he studied the pictures once more and then flipped to a page that I just knew would be in there. Filled with tiny handwriting was the records of deaths, births and marriages of the Stobrod family.

"Dale's been updating it. Mac's details are in here. I'll go backwards. Here it is," he murmured almost to himself. "Marriage notation. Ima Jane Stobrod to Emmett McCarty 13 March 1935. A death notation after that," he went on in a softer voice. "Emmett McCarty killed in a bear attack, 2 May 1935. I suppose Emmett's brother must have married Ima after that. Marriage Ima Stobrod to Elijah McCarty 20 July 1935. Birth Dale Emmett McCarty 5 October 1935."

I felt numb all over. "I guess we know who Dale's real father is. And why he married her, Rosalie. He married you because he loves you. He married her because she was pregnant."

"Oh Edward. She gave him a baby. She had his baby!"

"Rosalie, don't do this. He loves you!"

"He must have loved her first." I started pacing as I tried to think. Edward went on reading. "She died August 1966." He stated and suddenly I noticed Carlisle and Esme standing in the doorway, watching me.

They would have heard everything. "Oh God! Is Emmett back?"

"No," Esme shook her head. "What are you going to do, Rosalie?"

"Nothing!" I wanted to shout, scream, something. "Nothing. Emmett can't know about this. Please! He can't know!"

"Rose—"

"No! He's mine! I've waited a long time to finally come to where we are today. Please! If you love me at all, please don't take this away from me. I beg you. Please."

"Rosalie, come here," Carlisle came forward instead to wrap his arms around me and I accepted the comfort that he offered. "Truth of this kind, is not something you keep for whatever honorable reason that you might have. It will kill you, Rosalie. And when it finally does come out, the delay could bring about all sorts of negative reactions."

I pulled out of Carlisle's arms and walked to the sideboard to pick up the photograph of Emmett and me. "Look at this! Look at us. Look at how he's looking at me!" I shook the picture at them! Then I picked up the first black and white photograph. I couldn't even bring myself to think of it as what it really was. Emmett's wedding picture. Of him and another woman. "Look at how he's looking at her! He's never once looked at me like that. Never once. And I don't ever want him to!" I started sobbing. "Please, he is mine. If he knows the truth, he'd hate me."

"How could he hate you, Rosalie? You never knew until now. He remembered his parents and his brothers and sister when he left money for them but he never remembered a wife or a child. It wasn't you, honey," Esme tried to reason with me but I wouldn't hear of it.

I went through hell before Emmett came into my life. I don't care how they said I saved him. They didn't know the truth. _He_ saved me. _He_ gave me life. _He_ showed me what it was to live and love and be happy. I can't loose all that and go back to how I had existed before he came to my life. He is too much a part of me.

"He _is_ a part of you, Rose. As much as you are a part of him," Edward said, no doubt listening to everything running wild inside my head. "And right now, he needs you to tell him things that he's not remembered. Things that you know. And as his partner, as his soulmate, it is your duty to tell him and help him as he analyzes things and comes to term with it. It won't be easy for him, Rosalie. News like this is huge. You must tell him and then be there for him."

"Rosalie, you're not a child. You're a grown woman in an adult relationship and with a child," Carlisle gestured to Edward and Esme and they fell silent. "There is no what-if's. That is not how we do things and its certainly not how things have been done all this while in this family or even between you and Emmett. Dale is out there somewhere and Emmett needs to know the truth. For himself, for Dale. It's the right thing to do."

I nodded. It was true. Honesty has always been Carlisle's highest priority and all these years we've all been brutally honest with each other. I had to tell him. I thought of Mac, of the lessons I would teach him. _How do I teach him honesty if I am dishonest?_ And just like that my thoughts fell to Dale. He must have known, and he must have watched Emmett and me together. What did he feel? Abandonment? Did he think Emmett walked away from his family, from him and his mother for me? That Emmett was a weak man, that I was able to lure him away? He needed to know his father wasn't an adulterer. His father is a good man who loves me and he never remembered. He needed to know Emmett like the rest of us know him. He needs to know about the big man with the even bigger heart, the man who can make you laugh no matter how sad you feel, the man who has so much of love to give that you never know which side is up from the all warmth and security he blankets you in. And Emmett...Emmett deserves to know that he has a son, not just the one he shares with me. But a fully grown one with issues of his own. A son who no matter how grown, still needed a father.

Alice slipped in then, saying nothing she quietly took my hand and led me upstairs into her room and sat me down in her window seat. She was the only one who didn't push me and she remained by me as the churning thoughts in my head rose to its highest cresendo and then crashed down abruptly, the silence almost defeaning. Then, only then I looked up at her.

"I'm telling him," I whispered.

She nodded, giving me hope, looking far away towards where my decision would lead. "And you will be beside him, like he says, for all eternity."

A/N : All I want for New Years (apart from a winning lottery ticket and Charlie Hunnam) is a real proper review.. hehehe


	3. Emmett

Disclaimer – This is Stephenie Meyer's universe. I'm just playing in her world for a long bit. Any names and characters not found in Stephenie Meyer's books are definitely mine or my wonderful beta and good friend Liljenrock's creations.

How many of you have read the update of Love You Madly by Liljenrocks? It's from this same universe and its about Claire and Quil and I personally am sort of obsessed with it. And lucky me, Jen has been putting up with me.. Thanks for loosing sleep for me Jen, and HNCH, Eddie Spears looks so good with short hair and he's so perfectly Quil!

This story is just a short one (I think it's a long chapter). So just one more chapter to go before I throw myself back into Paul's head. The something heavy.. some of you got, most of you didn't. But it's ok. At least you enjoyed the story right? Right?

The delay with this chapter was because I was just busy. Sorry! 2012 is busy. Gggrrr..

**Eternity is a Long Time**

**Chapter 3: Emmett**

I sat back on my heels on the little outcropping and watched the small family on the other side of the river. Despite the gushing sounds of the rapids, I could hear the father softly talk his son through the shot as the young boy aimed his rifle at a deer. He was close enough not to miss and the dad was telling the boy to breathe. _This is the shot, kid. The deer is in your sight. Squeeze the trigger! _But the kid shifted a little and the deer caught the movement and it bolted.

"It's ok, Stevie! We'll try again later," I heard the father tell the son and I snorted to myself.

Close to a century of not touching a gun, and all of a sudden I knew everything there was to know about shooting, about hunting. Memories. What was it they say about riding a bicycle? You never forget? Does that apply here? I glanced coolly at Jasper as he sat himself down beside me. I noticed Edward perched on a branch of a nearby tree. I knew they'd been watching me for a while before joining me.

"Why are you watching them?" Jasper asked.

"The dad is teaching the kid to hunt. Doing a crappy job but he's being nice." Why _was_ I watching them?

"Planning on teaching Mac how to hunt?" Jasper asked.

"He wouldn't be needing a rifle, would he? Some dumbass conveniently gave him what it takes to be one of us." I said bitterly. There was also a pretty little brown haired girl who died before I could know her.

"He could be like Nessie, and get someone else to hunt for him," Edward said with a grin.

"Hybrids these days are terrible, aren't they?" Jasper asked with a laugh and I had to chuckle along with them. Petra was getting Embry to hunt for her too.

"My dad taught me to hunt, with a rifle," I said softly. "His dad taught him. Guns and hunting were an in thing in my house when I was growing up." I stood up and balanced myself on a small boulder. "Who do you think taught Dale?"

"Your brother Eli maybe?" Edward asked.

"Eli was an ass!" I hopped off the boulder and wandered off aimlessly and the two of them, my brothers fell into step beside me. Eli and Eben. I had two brothers back then, but these two brothers have filled that role more completely than my true blood brothers ever had. Why's that? "If something happened to me, would you two look out for Mac?"

"That's a stupid question. One that doesn't even need asking. Bella and I've left Nessie with you many times without even bothering to ask if it was okay."

I stopped walking and rocked on the balls of my feet. There were these riots of thoughts going crazy inside my head and I couldn't put them to words, couldn't string them along to make sense. But Edward, he understood. "You didn't fail Dale as his father. You died before you could play that part. And you'll be great with Mac, you already are."

"But I did fail! Don't you see? My human side died but I'm still Emmett. I should have remembered. I should have remembered I had a child! What if I screw up? If it wasn't for Rose, I'd give the kid back right now! Focus on Dale instead."

Jasper caught on. "Em, you're like the best uncle any kid could wish for. You were just so great with Petra. And Nessie's boys. That just paved the way for you and Mac. You're a natural, don't doubt yourself."

"Dale's a grown man now. And it's too late to think about the past. Make it up to him, raise Mac exactly how you would have raised Dale had you known him, had him, remained with his mother," Edward trailed off.

"I would have been crap, Edward. I didn't love her. She got pregnant after just one roll in the hay. Back then, that was what you did. You knocked up a girl, you married her. You know what else I remember? I remember that I got drunk on my wedding night and spent it with a whore in town. My father and Eli came to slap some sense into me and drag me home." I sat back against a tree, drawing my knees up, I rested my elbows on then and hung my head down. Suddenly feeling embarrassed to look at them. "You know what the sad thing is? I probably would have taken off at some point had I stayed. I didn't want a wife or a kid back then."

"Well, then it worked out well, didn't it? Honestly, I'd rather be told that my real father was killed by a bear. There's a certain coolness factor about that. Its way better than telling your peers that your daddy ran off," Jasper drawled.

"Em, back then, with Dale and his mother, you were not ready to be a husband or a parent. You've had all these years to grow and change. You're not the same person. None of us are the same people we were when we were human," Edward said softly.

"So says the human virgin," I gave him a ghost of a smile.

"I've been with whores, Emmett," Jasper said suddenly in a low voice. "As a human, I paid for services rendered. During the war. Then when I was changed, with Maria, she—well, she was different from what I knew. Heady, seductive—I would have done anything for what was between her legs. Hell, I did," he didn't look away as he said all this but I could feel the heaviness of what he was telling me, the emotions and shame he could not control rolling off him in waves that both Edward and I felt. "Alice, she's my redemption. She's everything good in my life. I had no right to her, Em, not with everything I'd done as a human, as a vampire. But I changed, for the better I hope, for her. And then we got to raise Petra. She may have not been a child, but maybe that was why my past was such. It put me in the exact mindframe to be the kind of parent she needed. I'll never be the kind of parent who would read a bedtime story or run around the furniture with. And if my past was in any way , the way it was to put me in that position, and that position made me ideal for helping Petra, then maybe, maybe it was all worth it, huh? This Jasper, this one who's been your brother all these years, this person was reborn from filth and is deemed a good enough mate for Alice, my gentle, loving Alice and a father to my innocent Petra. I grew Emmett. And like I did, you grew too. For the better." I could feel him wrestling with his control, pulling it back to himself and closing himself off after that speech, but I needed to make him see how different we were, how different our situations were.

"I had a real son, Jazz. My own. He ended up with Eli," I could hear my voice cracking. I turned to them, my brothers. "I had a kid who I never remembered! What kind of a man does that make me? I have no business raising Mac!"

"You're perfect for Mac. And Dale needs to see you with him," Jasper said softly as he took a step closer to me. "When he watches you with Mac, it heals something inside him. Besides, he turned out okay. And until you started remembering your past, you knew you were perfect for Mac too."

"He must hate me so much!"

"No, he doesn't," this coming from Jasper said a lot, he soaks up emotions like a sponge.

"Maybe you would have been a crappy father for Dale. The thirties were certainly the wrong century for you. You're too cool for that era, Em. I've no reason to lie to you, but you've been the perfect uncle for Nessie. Try and convince me that she doesn't love you. And the boys, Bodhi's still a baby but he lights up when he sees you. You were Petra's partner in crime when she was sneaking around with Embry when she didn't know he was her wolf." I turned to look at Edward as he spoke.

I didn't know how to explain to him that there was no effort or anything with Nessie. I looked at her that first time and I loved her. Like you would just unconditionally love your niece, your brother's child. I was just lucky that she loved me too. And it struck me then, love. I love Nessie, I love Griffin and Bodhi. I love Petra. And I love Mac. That was what that was missing with Dale. I hadn't experienced love yet. I hadn't known how powerful it was back then.

"It's always our women, isn't it?" Edward smiled. "They made us into better men. You needed Rosalie. Have you ever wondered how things would have been if you'd both met when you were human?"

Jasper snorted. "They'd be overrun with kids, that's for sure."

"It's okay, he'd be able to hunt for them and keep them well fed," Edward chuckled.

"Yes, Rosalie would have loved that. They could have lived happily in a little cabin deep in the woods," Jasper laughed. I could hear the sarcasm in his voice.

"I would have moved into town for her," I told them seriously, and realized that they were stringing me along when they started chuckling. "Idiots!" I snapped as I got up and started walking again. I had no idea where I was headed.

"Well Jasper," Edward said conversationally from my left.

"Yes, Edward?" Jasper asked politely.

"Right now, we've established that we're all not the same men we were when we were human."

"That's right, Edward. And we're also not the same men we were when we were first turned," Jasper drawled. I ignored them and kept walking.

"And we've also established that falling in love has opened our eyes to different things. The love of our wives has taught us to love our children, our children's children," Edward drawled back.

"Yes, of course. I mean, if Emmett was still single, then I would have serious doubts of letting him have Mac. But he's married to Rosalie," Jasper paced my steps, just like Edward was doing on my other side. Then he went on softly, "Think of it this way, Emmett. Think of Mac as your second chance at being a good dad."

I stopped walked abruptly. Second chance. Was that what fate was doing? Bringing Dale and Mac into my life? It was giving me a second chance?

"Em, you need to come home, you need to contact Dale and talk to him. He doesn't hate you. There were some pretty strong feelings that he definitely felt when he realized who you really are. But I suppose he would appreciate knowing that you remember now and you're reaching out. And you need to talk to Rose. The way you took off, she's feeling guilty about her part in this," Edward said softly and that pulled me out of my miserable thoughts.

"Guilty? What did she do?"

"She's blaming herself and she's terrified that she's lost you."

I straightened up. "I swear she's crazy sometimes!" I ran, as fast as I could back to the house.

I found Rose in bed, curled up beside a sleeping Mac and that stupid picture of me kissing her hands. I checked the impulse to pounce on her. Lately, with the kid around, I've had to stop and think of my actions before actually acting out on them. Having a kid of your own is way different from hanging out with your brother's kids. You don't get to give them back when you want some alone time with your wife. But that didn't stop me from walking over to her and squeezing in beside her, holding myself up by an elbow to stare down seriously at her. There was a million things running through my head and she's always been the one to make sense of things.

"I'm sorry I ran out like that," I whispered to her. "I didn't like myself much when all these memories came back to me."

"I'm sorry, Emmett," she said softly as she turned back to focus her attention on Mac.

"What are you sorry for?" I asked as I clasped her hand where it lay on the kid's little chest. Our wedding rings clicked against each other as she twined her fingers with mine. She brought my hand up to her lips and kissed my ring or finger. I wondered what she was thinking.

"I took you away from someone else. I had no right to you—"

"You want to give me back to her?" I asked with a grin. Things sort of made better sense to me when I have her in my arms. She turned to glare up at me, trying to pull her hand free but I was not letting go. "Close to a century, babe. That's how long we've been together. And not once did I remember her until you showed me that picture and told me."

"But you remember her now?"

"Yes. I remember that her father owned the general store in town. I remember the usual 'we're better than you are' look her mother always wore. I remember that Eli wanted to court her. I remember that she always blushed around me but always wanted to be the one to help me when I came into the store. I remember being pissed with Eli once and seducing her in her family barn." I let her hand go as I sat up and turned away. "I never loved her, never liked her, felt nothing for her and I did that to piss my brother off. That's why I ran just now. I felt disgusted with myself and didn't want to see that reflected in your eyes." I felt her arms wrap themselves around me as she lay her head on my shoulder.

"I love you, Emmett. I will always love you."

We stayed that way for a while. I didn't realize how much I needed this, this connection with Rose. Things made better sense to me when we were together. And I told her as the memories grew stronger. I told her about growing up in Gatlinburg, of my parents, of my sister, how Eli was always a pompous ass, always so sure of himself and his place as father's heir. What were we? Millionaires ready to inherit some title? But that's how he always was and it never sat right with me.

"I wronged an innocent girl just to knock him off his high horse. It took just that one time for her to get pregnant and things were such a mess and I had to marry her. I never loved her, never cared for her. Nothing. And the baby, I—I felt nothing, Rose. You know, when Nessie was born and I got to hold her, I loved her. I felt so protective of her. I'd see something and I would want to show it to her and watch her reaction. Shouldn't I have felt that for my own child? I didn't, Rose. It just felt like a damn burden. I think a part of me was glad to run into that bear."

"Emmett," she chided as she cuddled closer and I breathed in the scent of her.

"I remember being in your arms. I remember looking up at you and you had a smear of blood over your cheek and nose, right about here," I brushed my fingers over her face. "Mine or the bear's I have no idea, but I thought you were an angel. You were my last thought, I guess as I died. Not her, not my kid. But you. And when I woke up there you were."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she cried.

"Why are you sorry, huh?" I asked, turning a little to pull her closer. "Close to a century and I've never ever been happier than when I'm with you. Maybe that's why I never remembered her. Because I never loved her. But I loved you. I died loving you and…well, you know."

We both fell silent and watched as Mac rolled over in the bed and kicked off the covers, grumbling a little in his sleep before drifting off again. I had to grin. He looked so much like me that it was humbling. "I love this kid, you know? I love you and I love him. Why didn't I feel that before?"

"You were not ready back then."

"No," I agreed. "I wasn't. I don't know what to tell Dale. He's my kid, Rose. But he's also a grown man. He looks older than me!" I grinned. He did. He was turned at an older age than I was and we were frozen at different stages. Then I thought of Eli. "I don't know what to tell him. I did what I did to piss Eli off and he stepped up to take on my responsibility. I'm not a nice person, Rose."

"Hey!" she clasped my face in her hands and pulled my head up to look into my eyes. "I don't know what that old Emmett was like. He died when he was 22. But _you_ are a wonderful man, Emmett. You're caring and loving and you're just so selfless. I fell in love with you so very long ago when you brought me back to life. You did, it was you. And everyday you make me fall in love with you all over again. You are a wonderful person!"

I let her words wash over me, wanting to accept that everything she said was true, but the proof of that lay on the bed with us. I took him in as my son, but the truth was, I already had a son somewhere a long time ago who I let down, and through some strange twist of fate, he has given me my own great-great grandson to raise as my son. Knowing all that just brings forth so much of emotions that I couldn't name, emotions that threaten to bring me to my knees. I wish I could pretend like I never remembered, that all this never happened. Bury myself in the bliss of ignorance.

"Rose, I have to talk to him."

"I know," she nodded as she smoothed my hair.

"I-I want him to be a part of Mac's life. I don't want him to be a stranger." I willed her to understand. I didn't want her thinking that I was pushing her away. The knowledge that I was close enough to someone else to have gotten married and conceived a child must hurt her so. I've always told her that she was the only one who mattered to me. I didn't want her to think otherwise as I tried to bridge a strange gap between me and my son who didn't even feel like my son. I still didn't feel for Dale the way I felt for Mac. A feeling of guilt ran through me.

"I know, Emmett. I know. I've already called him and sent him a plane ticket," she whispered causing me to laugh softly. Trust Rose to think ahead for me.

The family excused themselves early the next day, deciding to go on a long hunt, leaving just Rosalie, Mac and me in the house. The waiting was excruciating as I watched the clock, willing him to arrive and yet at the same time, I was nervous. What exactly do I tell him? How exactly do I greet my son? I still couldn't figure out how to be his father. Carlisle was the only one I knew who closely did a great job as a father to grown sons. But the silly thing was, I didn't know how to emulate Carlisle.

He knocked on the door politely when he arrived. I could have had the door open and greeted him on the porch, but I had a moment of panic when I scented him on the property. But I played it cool when he did knock, I opened the door with a welcoming smile. At least, I hope it looked like a welcoming smile.

"Hey man, how're you doing?" I greeted, shaking his hand and letting him in. "How was the trip?"

"Different," he smiled as he turned to me and took his sunglasses off. The sight of his red eyes threw me for a moment. "I've never flown Business Class before."

"Better leg room when you travel the muggle way," I replied as I gestured him into the living room.

"Muggle way?" he asked.

I guess being a vampire saved me the embarrassment of blushing. "Sorry. Been reading the kid a magical kiddy story. I guess I'm still in the world of wizards and witches."

He smiled as he put down his bag and shrugged off his jacket. "How is he?"

"Bigger!" I laughed. "And smart as hell. He's taking a nap right now but he'll be up soon enough." I couldn't keep the pride out of my voice.

Dale nodded and sat down as I sat across from him. I knew I was staring but I couldn't help myself. I should have done for him everything I do for Mac. I fidgeted and at the same time I noticed that he was calm. And an uncomfortable silence settled in around us and suddenly I wished we were human, so I could offer him a drink, a bite to eat, a chance to freshen up. What was the etiquette when greeting your vampire son? Wait, was he my vampire son? He's my human son turned vampire. And I am a vampire. Damn, I didn't know squat!

"Where are the rest of your—family?" he asked.

"Well, everyone's gone hunting except Rose, me and the kid. She's probably off being creepy and watching him sleep," I joked and both of us smiled when we heard a 'tsk' from somewhere upstairs.

"So," Dale smiled when I said nothing further. "Minnesota Vikings vs Green Bay Packers, huh? Do you go to games often?"

"No, I usually watch the games on TV. But I really want to take Mac for a game, this will be his first live game. I'm glad you could join us. You like sports, right?" I asked, suddenly worried if Dale shared my interest or not. Mac certainly did. I had no idea why, but his interest in sports mattered to me—a lot.

"Yes, I'm a huge Titan's fan," he grinned as he looked around the room. "Don't you think he'd be too young for this?"

"Nah, he'll be fine. He's my kid," I laughed, the same way I've been doing when joking around with Edward and Jasper and sometimes with Jake and Embry. Then I froze. Why did I say that to Dale? I looked at him and found him watching me, a small smile on his face and decided that this was it. "So, um, we, uh, kind of looked at the bible you passed to Carlisle for the little fella'. Your mother's bible," it felt like my throat got really tight as I was saying that. "I, um," I trailed off, not really sure what exactly was the right thing to say at this point.

"You remember now?" he asked coolly. I wasn't sure if it was a question or if he was stating facts. "It was meant for the boy. It wasn't to disrupt your life or anything," he said softly. "I was hoping some day he could add on to it."

"Dale, I–I'm sorry. I–all these years, I never remembered, man. Honest. I never knew," I needed to make him understand. I failed him, there was no turning away from that, but I just needed him to understand why.

"I know. First time I came face to face with you, I knew you had no idea."

"How long have you known? About me? That I'm, you know, who I really am," was it weird that I couldn't bring myself to say I'm his father? That other Emmett was honestly someone else. I didn't really know him at all.

"The first time I heard there was an Emmett in the Cullen ranks was when I came to Forks with the Volturi. I was just curious because Emmett isn't exactly a common name but I never thought you were, you know, you. I'd never met you before, I didn't know. But I was sure when the wolf placed Mac in your arms. I just…knew. I can't explain it. I could see that you had no idea, not even when I mentioned my mother's name." He spoke so softly that I couldn't tell if there was anger there, or blame.

I nodded. "I have no idea why, I never remembered her…or you. Looking at the photographs, everything came flooding back. Dale, I–I'm sorry. I," I needed to make him understand.

"Emmett. It's ok, it's fine. Really. My father, he died before I was born. He was killed by a bear. They found your guns, your knife, torn clothes and shoes and blood, lots of it. You didn't do anything wrong."

"I should have remembered. I should have come back for you, looked out for you. What you did for Corey and finding Mac, I should have done that too!"

"Your life is different from mine, Emmett. I loved my wife, I loved my son. Maybe looking at a child helped me remember them, helped me to look for them," he trailed off, no doubt guessing that I never loved his mother. Made a baby with her, yes. But love her, no.

I looked at him, embarrassed suddenly. "Eli…was he?"

"Was he a good father? Yes, he was."

I scoffed. Eli was a pompous ass. Being the eldest, he considered himself the know-it-all. He was so straight laced, Eben and I were convinced he would die a virgin. I shook my head. "Really? Growing up he was always…well," I shrugged, not sure how to phrase it.

"He was strict, a good man. He taught me honor," Dale voiced out. Honor, yes Dale would have learnt that from Eli, not me. I had no honor, everyone in that little town knew just how I spent all my free time at the saloon.

"Why did you agree to give Mac to me? I mean, by then you knew who I really was. I let you down, Dale. I let your mother down."

"Ima," he said. "Her name was Ima. You can't say her name, can you? She was never a person to you. But every time I've spoken to you, your conversations somehow turns to Rosalie. Rose this, my Rosie that. Please let me be brutally honest with you. I'm not a child anymore and I have lived long too. Emmett with Ima would have been a rotten parent and growing up in that household would not have been ideal for any child." He looked down at the floor and I noticed that his jaw was clenched tight. He was thinking, struggling with his words and I stayed silent, giving him the chance to collect his thoughts and say what he needed to say. "Eli and Ima, on the other hand—He loved her and she learnt to love him too. He was a good man, Emmett. He was a good father to me. He educated me, he taught me things, _he_ was my father." I watched him, curious over where he was taking me. "I learnt from him. I was strict with my son. Hugging was not manly. I believed that if I joked with him, been his friend, he would lose respect for me as his father, as an authority figure. That was my belief until the day I found them again, my own wife and child." This time there was pain reflected in his eyes before he looked away, focusing on the floor. "My wife had remarried, and he was a good man. I watched as this man taught my son how to ride a bicycle, how to throw a ball, how to drive a car. 'Dad', my son called him, always with a smile on his face. I never laughed with my father. No, not you. Eli was my father." That hurt. I had no idea why since he still did not feel like a son, like Mac feels. "And my son never laughed with me. I had a good childhood, Emmett, do not feel bad. But I just felt that I'd rather see joy in Mac's eyes. I want him to laugh, to have all the hugs and kisses that were denied to Corey. Emmett and Rosalie can give him that."

He humbled me. "Dale, I need to—" I started to say.

But he cut me off. "Emmett, I am a grown man. I had a father and a mother who loved me. I had a wife, I had a child. I've lived well. I don't need a father now. And I don't want you feeling guilty about anything. I want you to think of me as your brother Eli's son. And I want to think of you as Mac's father."

I watched him for a moment before I exhaled noisily. "Man, I don't know how to be a grown man's father," I grinned, feeling light suddenly.

"You know how to be a good friend?" he asked.

"Hell yeah! If you're into sports."

"I am," he grinned. "I guess you could say it's a McCarty men thing."

"Listen, if the kid enjoys the outing today, would you hang around if I got season tickets. I could get a suite, feed him way too many hot dogs and Cola without Rosalie putting a stop to it," I was surprised when no missile came flying into the room to hit me on my head.

"It'll be a conundrum if the Titans played the Vikings," he laughed. "Which one of us will influence him?"

"Me," I said importantly. "He thinks I'm the best!"

We were both silent once more and I turned the TV on. Then I told him softly, the need to tell him important somehow. "Rose, when she came across me, the bear was almost done. She picked me up and took me to Carlisle. She didn't dare to turn me herself. Hers was the last face I saw as a human and the first I saw as a vampire. And she's always—"I trailed off, not sure how to explain to him just how much Rosalie meant to me.

"She turned you in more ways than one?" he smiled. "I appreciate this, this chance you're both giving me to visit and be a small part of Mac's life."

I appreciated Rosalie for way more things than that, the simplest being this chance to be alone with Dale. It made me think of the possibility of him joining us for good. It was just a matter of changing his diet. I could speak to Carlisle and Dale could be one of us. He was my son for crying out loud.

But he must have seen something in my expression and he smiled softly. "I'm a wanderer. I'm comfortable with the way I am. Settling down, that's not for me, Emmett. I'm set in my ways."

I nodded just as a sleepy Mac wandered out and climbed onto my lap to wrap his arms around my neck and rest his head on my shoulder, he was everything a solid, warm and sleepy little boy should be. "Hey kiddo," I said softly as I noticed a gently smiling Rosalie watching us from the doorway. "You want to say hello to Uncle Dale?" I asked.

Mac raised his head with a soft sigh and looked quietly at Dale. "'Lo Uncle Dale," he called out through his thumb that was lodged in his mouth and laid his head back down again. It would take him a little while to completely wake up and at moments like this, he preferred cuddling with me than anyone else and I was totally fine with that. I remembered what Jasper had said the day before. Maybe Mac was my second chance. I hugged him a little more tightly to my chest as I pressed a kiss to the top of his head. I didn't know until now just how much this second chance meant to me.

"He likes you," Dale whispered and I smiled back at him.

I didn't know where the future would take us and what the outcome would be if we moved somewhere within wolf territory. But I knew one thing for sure, Dale was definitely going to be a part of my family and hey, I have the whole eternity to try and change his diet and eternity is a long time.

_A/N : So? How was it? Let me know so I'm inspired more._


	4. Mac

Disclaimer – This is Stephenie Meyer's universe. I'm just playing in her world for a long bit. Any names and characters not found in Stephenie Meyer's books are definitely mine or my wonderful beta and good friend Liljenrock's creations.

So here it is, the last chapter for.. what do you call this? A story? An outtake? Whatever.. Now I wonder how you're all gonna react to Mac in this chapter. How many of you want to read Mac's story? Well, he's getting his own story, everything is already plotted out, we just need to wait for him to grow up in present time.. So if you're impatient for it, Jen's the person to bug, she's writing Mac. Sorry Jen, had to tell them. HNCH!

So I guess after this I'll have no excuses not to go back to Paul.. Happy Chinese New Year everyone. Have a great Dragon year!

**Eternity is a Long Time**

**Chapter 4 : Mac**

"No! No! Dammit! It's my turn!" Dad grunted out as he held onto the headlock he had me in, not even loosening his hold when I jabbed an elbow into his side.

I managed a twist and slipped my head out from under his arm and used the momentum to twist dad's arm behind his back, something I'd learnt from Uncle Jazz. But dad was fast too, before I could lock his arm in position, he did another twist, this time kicking my legs out from under me and both of us crashed down to the floor, rolling smack into one of grandma's side tables, causing all the bric-a-barcs on them to fall.

"What's going on in there?" I heard Mom call out.

"Nothing!" Dad and I yelled at the same time.

I think both of us noticed the vase at the same time, as it rolled to the edge of the table and sort of hovered at the edge, rocking back and forth, as if it was trying to decide if it wanted to fall or not. Both of us dove for it, with me landing on top of Dad and our skidding headlong slide into the table helped the vase make up its mind and roll slowly off the table and into my waiting hands.

"Phew!" I breathed, relieved. That was one major disaster that got averted.

Dad chose to shove me off him at that point and the suddeness of it caused the vase to slip out of my grasp and crash onto the floor, shattering into a million tiny pieces.

"Shit!" Dad whispered eloquently. He always had a way with words, I should know. I learnt from him after all, much to Mom's displeasure.

"Yeah," I agreed. "Total shit."

"What's that sound?" I heard Grandma's voice, sounding just a tiny bit alarmed. She'd learnt long ago not to come investigate the scary noises when Dad and I were wrestling in a room. There were always damages.

"It's the sound of Dad making a purchase at Baccarat, Grandma! Just for you!" I called out with a laugh just as Dad reached out to smack the back of my head.

"Is it the one one on the side table?" she called out.

"Yeah!"

"It's a Waterford, dear. Get the right vase, please," Grandma didn't disappoint when she called out with a laugh, causing the lot of us to laugh too when Dad groaned.

I sat up just as Dad did and I eyed him for a moment, preparing myself in case he lunged for me again. "It's not fair," he said instead. "Dale did it when you were born, when you got married. You did Arden's. You and Dale are like ganging up on me!" Dad whined.

I turned to look at Arden as she remained seated beside Uncle Dale. She had her beautiful brown hair up in a pony-tail, her bangs neatly falling across her forehead, her elbows on the table and her chin resting on both her hands. Sometimes the disapproving look she wears is exactly like her mother's, that it's actually pretty scary.

"They've never toned it down, have they?" Uncle Dale asked, his lips twitching as he tried to hold back his laughter.

Arden sighed. "It's so embarrassing sometimes. You two are grown men!"

I patted my chest, "We're young at heart, baby."

"Yeah," Dad agreed. "Nobody wants to be a boring old grownup."

Uncle Dale laughed as he reached out to squeeze Arden's shoulder and she turned her head to smile up at him, bringing her hand up to squeeze his, her wedding and engagement rings glinting almost as brightly as Uncle Dale did from the sunlight that spilled in through the open windows. "Relax, sweetheart," he murmured and I hid my own smile. It was nice seeing him like this. He's been this sappy old fool from the very first day he laid eyes on her.

I pulled myself up to my feet and turned to give Dad a hand up. I realized then that the fountain pen that I had originally wrestled Dad over was crushed on the white rug, blue ink spread out, staining it. "Shit!"

"Oh man!" Dad said, scratching the top of his head. "This one is yours."

"Yeah right!" I snapped back. "If you hadn't grabbed for the pen after I had already—" I started my rebuttal but Arden cut me off.

"Okay, I'm out of here before they start round two," Arden shot out of her chair. "I need to finish packing. And you two," she spun around to glare at Dad and me. "I've already written in the book, while you two were fighting like a couple of kindergarten kids."

"You did?" Dad howled in dismay.

"Yup," she said. "You get to make the next entry," she winked at Dad before slipping out of the room.

I laughed as Dad sat down in the chair next to me and yanked the book out of my hands. We both looked at the last entry together and there, after the entries documenting my marriage, Arden's birth and her wedding, she had put the birth entry in. We both read her elegant writing—_Wicase Shane Winters._

"I like the name. It has a very dignified sound to it. They want to call him Wic?" Uncle Dale asked.

"Yup, although Dad is adamant on calling him Shane," I replied, remembering Dad's grousing over the baby's name, which Arden ignored with the kind of airs that only my mother has ever been capable of pulling off.

"She used a ballpoint pen!" Dad stated in disgust. "You let her use a ballpoint pen?" he glared at Uncle Dale.

He shrugged carelessly. "You two destroyed the fountain pen. Besides, she said you get to make the next entry. Don't destroy the fountain pen when that day comes."

"The next entry would be Shane's wedding. That'll take a very long time," he groused.

"Technically Emmett, it's Arden's bible now. You know, she should be making the entries," Uncle Dale tried to explain but Dad wasn't too interested in that.

"Doesn't matter. She said I could write in Shane's wedding."

"I think she meant her next baby," I said with a laugh.

"Her next baby?" Dad sat up. "Do you think that punk is already pressuring her to have another baby?"

"Seriously Emmett, it's been six days since the baby was born," Uncle Dale was obviously trying to pacify dad.

"I think I'm gonna go talk to him."

I grinned at Uncle Dale once Dad left the room. "You did that on purpose, Mac. Everytime I watched Emmett go after that poor boy, it's because of something you'd say just to instigate him."

"I know! It's so much fun and both of them need it too," I said as Uncle Dale threw back his head and laughed heartily. It was nice seeing Uncle Dale loosen up like this. The smile on his face remained longer these days. He'd come a long way from the man I met as a child.

"She's very happy," he stated in his usual way, using a tone that you'd sometimes be unsure if he was asking a question or making a statement.

"That she is," I smiled. "But she's not gonna be happy with Dad for long."

"The McCarty's of the past, we were never happy, I mean truly happy."

"Well, I guess all that changed, thanks to you. I think Dad would be happier if you changed your diet. I'm sure he'd like to see you all year round instead of just for the season," I tried what Dad's been doing for years. "I'd like to have you come visit me anytime too."

Uncle Dale laughed. "Nice try, Mac. But no, I'm not ready yet."

"Well, I tried," I grinned standing up. I knew first hand how stubborn the McCarty men could be. "Come on, Uncle Dale, let's go admire my grandson some more."

"I think there's a 'young punk' out there who would appreciate an intervention too," he laughed as he got up to follow me out.

_Yeah, he'd appreciate an intervention but sometimes I just like to let him sweat it out._

The next morning, we were all gathered in the front of the house as Arden and all the females in the family did their last minute checks to ensure she was all packed up, and taking turns to coo at the baby who was wide awake in the middle of all the craziness. I watched as my wife wrapped her arms around our daughter, their identical colored hair glinting so beautifully as they whispered to each other, last minute advices. Mom was not letting go of the baby as she rocked him and pressed kisses to the top of his head. I walked up to her.

"No heart to let him go?" I asked.

"No, it's too soon. I'm gonna miss my little wolf boy," she crooned down to the wide awake baby who stared seriously at her. "Do you want to hold him, dear?" she asked me.

"May I? Please?"

Mom handed him over to me and I cradled him to my chest. "Hey Wic, today is gonna be the day of many firsts for you, buddy. Your first car ride, your first plane ride, the first time you meet the other half of your family. I know I'll be seeing you again pretty soon, but I want you to remember something important, okay? Your mommy, she's an amazing girl, she's my little girl and she's as smart as her mother. So when she tells you to eat your vegetables or tells you that it's time for bed, you listen to her, you got that? Grandpa's orders."

Wic chose that moment to let out a huge yawn before his eyes drooped shut, to the sound of mom's chuckles. "Not quite the reaction you wanted, huh?" She asked, smiling wider when I shook my head no. "Give him to me, I'll strap him in and get this little family on the road or I swear they're going to miss their flight."

I did as she said and I stood back to watch my daughter in action. Uncle Dale stepped up beside me. "You're going to miss her," he murmured as we both watched her hug and kiss everyone goodbye all the while shooting frowns at Dad as he remained in a lecturing mode, hassling the new father who was trying to engage Grandpa Carlisle in a conversation in an attempt to avoid Dad.

"I always miss her. She's my baby, man."

And then my baby was there, hugging Uncle Dale goodbye and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Bye Uncle Dale, come visit us soon, okay?"

He smiled down at her and nodded.

"I don't suppose you'd go steer Grandpa away?" she asked hopefully. "Otherwise, I'm going to have to listen to my grouchy bear all the way home."

"I'll give it my best shot," Uncle Dale promised as he walked away.

And then finally, it was my turn. She walked into my embrace and I wrapped my arms around her as she wrapped hers around my waist, and suddenly all those times when she's run into my arms as a child, as she toddled shakily into my waiting arms when she had first started walking, when she was a little older and I taught her to skate on the pond behind the house in Colorado, she had glided so perfectly to me, and when she got a little older, I'd hugged her just like this when she went away to college, and I'd hugged her exactly like this just before she had walked out of my arms and into her husband's. I felt the prickling behind my eyes and I blinked them away. She'd always be my baby, even if she had a baby of her own now.

"Bye, Daddy," she whispered into my chest. "Love you for always." Her mother's favorite line.

I loosened my hold on her a little so I could lean back and smile into her eyes. "Eternity is longer," I whispered back, my favorite line.

_A/N : So? I want reactions. What's the verdict? Share your thoughts and feelings people.._


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